Creamy Tomato Pepper Sauce with Sausage over Penne

August 24, 2010

This weekend is the Little Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. A lot of people have heard of the Big Sturgis Rally in South Dakota. This is the smaller one held in Sturgis, MS, just up the road from my town. This means that 20k+ bikers roll in (and through) town, and that I am not going anywhere NEAR shopping spots because the groceries have already been wiped out. This means cooking with what’s IN MY HOUSE. Which I’m trying to be better about anyway. So going with the whole necessity being the mother of invention, I was craving pasta with a tomato sauce, so I opted for a simple, rustic sauce that came together in about twenty minutes. The end result was lovely and tangy. It made 2 servings at 584 calories and 15 grams of fat. So of course I had to offer it up to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Amy of Very Culinary.

Ingredients:

4.5 oz. whole wheat penne (it happened to be how much I had left)

3 links Honeysuckle White roasted tomato and garlic turkey sausage

1 can Hunt’s petite diced tomatoes

1 large roasted red peppers, diced

2 tsps minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup red wine (I used petite syrah)

4 tablespoons light sour cream

Directions:

Remove sausage from casing.

Brown over medium high heat, breaking up into small chunks.

Add the tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, and basil.

Simmer for a few minutes until juice is reduced.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.

Add the wine and simmer until reduced (about 5 minutes).

Drain the pasta.

Remove the sauce from heat and add the sour cream, stirring until well incorporated.

I should do that more often. Just refuse to go to the store, and use whatever is in my fridge and pantry. In a way, not having a frost-free freezer, is a good thing, as it forces me to get rid of stuff stashed in there.